Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan is for upgrading the East Cost Mainline.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Within the £96bn set out in the Integrated Rail Plan, up to £3.5 billion has been allowed for upgrading the East Coast Main Line (within the East Core Network figure)
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of how the Humber sub-region (East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire) will benefit from the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is enhancing rail infrastructure from Manchester to York. However, it will provide better connectivity across the Pennines for a range of centres beyond these points, by reducing journey times and providing room for extra trains. This includes doubling the frequency of direct trains on the Hull to Leeds route from one to two trains per hour. The Integrated Rail Plan published last week sets out further benefits for the region through other projects.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Mott McDonald work referred to in the Integrated Rail Plan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Mott MacDonald were commissioned by the Department for Transport to support the Integrated Rail Plan by assessing strategic alternatives to the previously planned HS2 Eastern Leg. I intend to publish the report soon and will place a copy of this report in the Library.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of upgrading the Hull to Liverpool train line to high speed specifications.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department will soon publish its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) which will look at how best to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail, alongside other major rail investments in the North and Midlands including HS2 Phase 2b, so that the benefits of these investments are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Canadian Government on resuming leisure travel with that country during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Robert Courts
Department for Transport ministers and/or officials have met with Canadian counterparts on several occasions this year to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the safe, sustainable resumption of international travel. These discussions have been fruitful and we welcome further exchanges as we seek to cautiously balance the reopening of international travel with managing the public health risks.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterparts on resuming trans-Atlantic leisure travel during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Secretary of State for Transport has discussed the resumption of trans-Atlantic travel with his US counterpart Secretary Pete Buttigieg, including at the UK-chaired G7 Transport Ministerial meeting on 5 May 2021.
The Prime Minister and President have also agreed to form the joint UK-US Experts’ Working Group, which will share expertise and provide recommendations to leaders on the return of safe and sustainable trans-Atlantic travel.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's financial support package for coach businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has announced a range of measures available to support UK businesses, including coach operators. These include the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and I am pleased to note that there has been a high uptake of this scheme across the coach sector.
We continue to work closely with representatives from the coach sector to understand the ongoing risks and issues the sector faces and how these can be addressed.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional support the Chancellor is providing to coach businesses unable to operate as a result of covid-19 restrictions in Tier 3 alert level areas.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has announced several measures available to UK businesses, including the coach sector, to support them through this challenging time, and launched a ‘support finder’ tool to help businesses quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the coronavirus pandemic.
As of 2 December, councils in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas of England are receiving funding to provide grants to closed businesses and run local discretionary grant schemes to support affected businesses. These grants could be available to businesses that supply the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, including coaches. These allocations will be published shortly and are in addition to the £2.3 billion already provided to local councils since the start of the pandemic. Local Authorities will administer this scheme and determine on a case-by-case basis where to allocate funding.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to guarantee refunds for flights and holidays cancelled due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
There have been no changes to consumer law, and airlines are expected to abide by this and honour consumer rights. We have been clear with industry that when consumers are entitled to a refund and ask for one, refunds must be paid in a timely manner, and the process should not be unduly difficult for consumers.
My department is working to consider the impacts of COVID-19 on the ATOL Scheme, proposals for vouchers, and the payment of refunds for cancelled holidays and flights. We are working to reach a position on this issue that balances the need to protect consumer rights whilst recognising the continuing pressure on industry.
The Civil Aviation Authority are responsible for enforcing European Regulation 261/2004. My department works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority and has regular discussions with them about the range of issues that have arisen from the COVID-19 crisis – including issues relating to enforcement action in respect of refund payments.
On 1 July 2020 the Civil Aviation Authority provided an update on its website about its review into the refund policies of airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. They are reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic.